For the second year in a row, Dairy Foods has good news to share about the retail juice category, a segment that had been experiencing a multi-year decline. According to data from Chicago-based market research firm IRI, two of the four juice categories actually posted impressive dollar and unit sales increases during the 52 weeks ending March 21, 2021.

Consumers are shunning sugar, and there's no shortage of beverage innovation reflecting this reality. So it's no wonder that the U.S. retail juice segment has had a tough time of it in recent years.

Juice's long-standing reputation as a healthy drink has come across some problems as American consumers look to reduce their sugar intake.

The refrigerated juices and drinks category includes orange, apple, cranberry, grape, blended fruits and other flavors. Lemonade and vegetable drinks also fall under this umbrella. In the 52 weeks ended April 15, total sales in the category were $4.4 billion, an increase of 0.9%. Unit sales fell 2.8% to 1.55 billion. The only bright spot in the category was an average price increase of 11 cents. The data come from SymphonyIRI Group, Chicago.